Panel-controller for automatic playing instruments.



F. C. WHITE. PANEL CONTROLLER FOR AUTOMATIC PLAYING INSTRUMENTS.

, APPLICATION FILED APR. '4, 1917- 1,235,526. k I Patented July 31,1917.

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. E5

5] nveutoz F. C. WHITE.

PANEL CONTROLLER FOR AUTOMATIC PLAYING INSTRUMENTS.

. APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. I917. 1,235,526. Patented July 31, 191?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATS PAT option.

FRANK C. WHITE, 0F IEERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A SIG-NOR. TO THE 'WILCOX &WHITE COMPANY, OF MEBIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A OORFORATION 0F CONNECTICUT.

PANEL-CONTROLLER FOR AUTOMATIC PLAYING INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed April 14, 1917.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK C. Nmrn, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Meriden, Connecticut, have invented a new anduseful Panel-Controller for Automatic Playing Instruments, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to player pianos and the like in which the frontpanel of the piano casing is provided with doors which open and close topermit the muslc rolls to be inserted and removed. In the present development of this art, many of such instruments are designed to beplayed automatically so as to reproduce the music with all of itsvariations in tempo and dynamics under the automatic control of the notesheet. In such instruments the efiect is heightened by having the musicrolls hidden during the playing, thus concealing all evidence ofmechanical means. To that end, my invention aims at providing meanswhich will automatically close the doors in the front panel when themusic commences, and which will open said doors when the music isconcluded. I may also provide means whereby if desired. the apparatusmay be manually controlled so that the doors may be opened and closed byhand at any time.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the inside of a front panel and the movabledoors of a player piano, showing the doors open. The parts are shownconventionally and are susceptible of wide modification.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the doors closed.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of certain parts shown in a different positionfor manual operation of the doors.

Fig. 4: is a section on the line of Fig. 3. v

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the part shown in Fig. 3.

1 represents a part of the front panel of a player piano or organ of thepneumatic type. This panel has usually at the center a sultable openingor passage for the muslc rolls. 23 are sliding doors at the back of thepanel by which said opening may be closed. Ordinarily, such doors aremovable by hand but my object in the present case is to provide meansfor automatically opening and closing said doors, the doors beingnormally closed when the instrument is being played.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Serial no. 161,982.

a represents conventionally an exhaust chamber. This exhaust chamber isconnected through pipes 5 and 6 to a collapsible bellows T. The movableleaf 8 of this bellows,

is suitably connected as by a link 9 with one of the doors, for example,2. In this instance, the link at i s free end is provided with a notchin its underside which engages over a pin 10 on the back of the door 2.The doors 23 are suitably connected so that when the door 2 moves in theclosing or opening position, the door 3 will be con respondingly moved.Any suitable means may be provided for securing this cooperative actionbetween the doors. In the drawings, I have shown conventional means comprising a cord or belt 11 passing over pulleys l213. The door 2- isconnected to the upper strand of the belt 11 as by an arm lat, while thedoor 3 is connected to the lower strand of the belt 11 as by an arm 15.It follows that when the door 2 is moved in the closing direction, itwill move the belt 11 in a direction to cause the door 3 to move towardthe door 2 so that the same will meet at the center. Correspondingly,when the door 2 slides open, the belt 11 will move the door 3 in theopening direction. When the bellows 7 is collapsed, it will cause thedoors 2 and 8 to close. When the bellows 7 expands, it will cause thedoors 23 to open. Any suitable means such as a spring 16 may be providedto normally cause the bellows 7 to expand. It follows that when the instrument is started and a vacuum is created in the exhauster i, it willcause the collapse of the bellows and the closing of the doors.Correspondingly, when the instrument stops and the vacuum ceases in thechamber 4, the bellows will expand. thus opening the doors.

I prefer to provide means whereby the doors may be manually operated,and in the drawings, I have shown conventionally, a means whereby thismay be accomplished. In the particular form shown, the pipe 5 leadingfrom the exhauster 4c is connected to a manually movable valve 17 whichhas a port capable of registering with a corresponding port in the valveseat 18. This last mentioned port in the valve seat 18 is incommunication with the pipe 6 leading into the bellows 7. hen the valve17 stands in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, these ports willregister so that a vacuum in exhauster 4 will be communicated to thebellows 7. When, however, the valve 17 is shifted to the positionindicated in Fig. 3, the port therein will move over a solid part of thevalve seat 18 thus closing pipe 5, disconnecting the chamber 4 from thebellows 7, and opening the port for the pipe 6 to atmosphere. The valve17 may be moved by any suitable means such as a manually operable lever19. This lever 19, also by preference, is connected with the link 9 insuch a way that said link may be disconnected from the door 2. In thedrawings, the lower end of the lever 19 is shown as provided with a pin20 which is located under the link 9, thus, when the lever 19 is swungto the position indicated in Fig. 3, this pin 20 will lift the free endof the link 9 and disconnect it from the pin 10 on the door 2, therebyleaving the doors entirely free to be opened and closed manually. Theend of the link 9 which is provided with the notch designed to receivethe pin 10, is provided with bevels or inclines 2122 so that when thelever 19 is moved back to the posi tion indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, therelative movement of the link 9 and the door 2 will .permit the pin 10to lift the free end of the link 9 so that the notched portion may againdrop over the pin 10 for automatic action, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

It is obvious from an inspection of the drawings that the apparatus isdisplayed only in conventional form and that a wide variety of changesand modifications may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention.

I claim;

1. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a panel having anopening therein, two sliding doors for said opening with meansconnecting said doors for simultaneous movement toward and from eachother, and means for automatically operating both of said doors, saidoperating means including a collapsible bellows, and an exhaustertherefor.

, 2. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a panel having anopening therein, two sliding doors for said opening with meansconnecting said doors for simultaneous movement toward and from eachother, and means for automatically operating both of said doors, saidoperating means including a collapsible bellows, and an eXhaustertherefor, with means for manually connecting and disconnecting saidcollapsible bellows from said doors.

3. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a. panel. having anopening therein, two sliding doors for said opening with meansconnecting said doors for simultaneous movement toward and from eachother, and means for automatically operating both of said doors, saidoperating means including a collapsible bellows, and an exhaustertherefor, with means for manually connecting and disconnecting saidcollapsible bellows from said doors, and for disconnecting said bellowsfrom said exhauster.

4, In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a panel having anopening therein, sliding closure means for said opening, a spring'operatively connected with said closure means for moving the same inone direction, and means for automatically moving said closure means inan opposite direction, said last mentioned means comprising a bellows,an eXhauster therefor and operative means of connection between saidexhauster and said closure means.

5. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a panel having anopening therein, sliding closure means for said opening, a springoperatively connected with said closure means for moving the same in onedirection, and means for automatically moving said closure means in anopposite direction, said last mentioned means comprising a bellows, anexhauster therefor and operative means of connection between saidexhauster and said closure means, said connecting means beingdisengageable to permit manual operation of said closure means.

FRANK C. WVHITE.

Copies of this ,patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. G.

